World Theatre Day March 27‏ – Theatre Communications Group (TCG),

http://www.tcg.org/international/events/wtd.cfm

2011 Messages by Jessica A. Kaahwa and Jeffrey Wright

Theatre Communications Group (TCG), which serves as the US Center of the International Theatre Institute (ITI-US), invites all theatres, individual artists, institutions and audiences to celebrate the 49th annual World Theatre Day on March 27, 2011.

Created in 1961, World Theatre Day, is celebrated annually on March 27 by ITI Centers around the world and the international theatre community. Each year, a renowned theatre artist of world stature is invited to craft an International Message to mark the global occasion. This year, ITI Worldwide, headquartered in Paris, asked artist, academic and humanitarian Jessica A. Kaahwa, from Uganda, to write the international message. In addition, TCG/ITI-US, invited Tony Award-winning actor and global citizen Jeffrey Wright to issue a US message.

Kaahwa and Wright's statements will be translated into more than 20 languages and distributed to tens of thousands of audiences around the world prior to performances.

TCG/ITI-US dedicates its World Theatre Day celebrations to the full life and inspiring legacy of Ellen Stewart, founding artistic director of the La MaMa Experimental Theatre, who passed away this year. Stewart, considered as a mother, goddess and true arts advocate, was a vital part of the international theatre community and delivered the World Theatre Day International Message in 1975.

How to Celebrate

On March 27, share the WTD statements from Jessica A. Kaahwa and Jeffrey Wright with your audience, community and students;
Include a special insert with both messages in your program;
Promote your WTD activities on the official WTD Map of Global Events;
Follow WTD updates on Twitter;
Register with the Performing Arts Alliance (PAA) and take action by contacting your elected officials regarding the need for: Improved visa processing for international guest artists (Issue Brief / Advocacy Letter); Increased funding for the Cultural Programs Division of the State Department (Issue Brief / Advocacy Letter)

Participate Beyond WTD 2011

Subscribe to the RSS Feed for The Circle, to receive Going Global updates from TCG/ITI-US;
Register with the Human Rights Watch to learn about human rights issues from around the world;
Consider applying for a Fulbright to conduct theatre research, training, and teaching —our world needs more creative solutions and leadership to resolve many of our challenges, and the Fulbright is making an effort to include more artists and theatre scholars in their programs;
Set a goal to work with your local community and Sister Cities International to create a reciprocal cultural exchange or project with your sister city;
Purchase a copy of the World of Theatre, published by ITI Worldwide, which serves as the best reference guide available to explore the diversity of the current global dramatic scene.